Last Goodbyes
by HawkRider
Summary: All that loneliness, and yet I always just went right through it. I guess having friends inside of society didn't help me. Years of loneliness couldn't have helped to soften the blow for this. Nothing can, I'm certain. After all, it should be me of all people who could keep their emotions bottled up. After all, I am Neku.


_All that time I spent outside of society, and I never even considered this. All that loneliness, and yet I always just went right through it. I guess having friends inside of society didn't help me._

I let out a slight chuckle, a tear falling down and out of sight. _Years of loneliness couldn't have helped to soften the blow for this. Nothing can, I'm certain. After all, it should be me of all people who could keep their emotions bottled up. After all, I am Neku._

_Yeah, you probably expected it to be me over everyone else. After all, who else has spent so long alone in this world? It seems weird, writing this. I still keep my emotions to myself mostly. Just not as much. And here I am letting them flood out._ I chuckled at the irony, seeing the paper getting slowly wetter as my tears fell. I rubbed my eyes, then continued.

_You guys will all kick yourselves for this. I'm sure of it. The three of you were all there when it started. I guess you guys were too busy trying to get Shiki to tell about her boyfriend. Well, maybe you noticed Rhyme. You are good at that. But if you wanted to comfort me, you came too late._

_Yeah, that kicked it off. I started coming up with excuses not to meet with you, started to wear my headphones again. I started to avoid crowds. Everything that should have shown that everything you guys did for me was undoing. I can just guess that you guys couldn't see it. You thought I wouldn't go back to how I was before the Reaper's Game, back before I had to rely on people. Or people to rely on._

_I guess I put too many of my hopes on Shiki. I fell in love with her, and that was where I guess I went wrong. Sure, Shiki, it was nice to fall for you, to be with you. But I should have known that you would fall in love with someone else before me. I was your best friend, after Eri. Not someone you would fall in love with. But I did._

_I guess I'm rambling now. Not something you'd expect from me, especially under these circumstances. It's just one of those strange things that happen. But, I guess this is a goodbye from me._

_Goodbye Shiki, Beat, Rhyme. Pass the message on to Joshua if you can. Enjoy life. It's a wonderful world._

_Only my world, is ending here._

I sighed, looking around the room. I was about to leave it all behind. Everything was ready. And no it was just time, to leave it all behind.

_Neku, I don't know where you are right now, but I hope you can read this._

_WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL ME?_

_Sorry. I just needed to ask you that. Don't get mad at that will you? Please?_

_We were all sad when you left us Neku. I feel like I haven't smiled since you went. I'm really sorry Neku. I had no idea that you loved me. I wish I did love you, you are a perfect guy. But I didn't and I'm sorry. I'm taking the blame for this. Not you, me. Because it is my fault. I couldn't live up to those hopes you laid on me, and I am so sorry. _

_Mr Hanekoma actually painted you a mural, you know? I hope you can see it, it's beautiful. And I'm pretty sure I've seen Joshua there as well, although that might just be me imagining things. Even the people you met during the Game, they remember knowing you even though they've never really happened anymore. The Prince made a comment about you on his blog, and the next day a flood of flowers appeared around the mural. 777 named his gig in memory of you. The guy at Ramen Don's even dedicated his new ramen to you._

_And I was surprised at the Reapers I saw around the mural as well. Pinkie and Lollipop, you and Beat called them, didn't you? I guess they must have admired you in some way. And I've seen a lot of the grunts there as well. You can always tell when they've visited, they always seem to leave a feather by the mural. Most of them are black, but I did see a couple of white ones._

_Neku, I visit the mural every day. I can't stand going near to your house, so I go there instead. I offer you a prayer._

_It's a shame I could never get a picture of you. The only one I have was one when we got home. You're smiling in it, actually smiling. I got it framed, and the picture now sits next to Mr Mew in my room. _

_I haven't actually seen Joshua recently, at least not for certain. But I'm sure that he knows. He always seemed to me as someone who knew everything that goes on, in Shibuya if not everywhere. I don't think Beat or Rhyme have either. But we plan to head down the Shibuya River soon, to make sure he knows. And to remember that final battle we all worked together in._

_I loved knowing you Neku. I wish I could have loved you back, and I am so so sorry for not._

_With happiness, Shiki._

_Neku, its Rhyme here. And Beat's in here too. Too busy crying to write, not that he'd admit it. I'm writing for the both of us, actually. Because Beat couldn't write a letter to save his life._

_Neku, it' strange without you. We'd always have that routine. Me and Beat would arrive at Hachiko, soon followed by Shiki, possibly with some of her friends alongside her. And then you'd arrive last, as always. Waving to us. Even smiling sometimes. Then we'd set off to wherever we were going, Stride, 104, Spain Hill, whatever the place. Beat would skate alongside me, and we'd sandwich Shiki._

_I suppose I should have noticed that you were acting strangely. I'm normally good at that, I can spot things other people might miss. But I guess I didn't notice how bad it was. I did notice that you had a crush on Shiki, but I guess I hadn't realised how much in love with her you were._

_Beat's muttering to himself. I think he's saying something like: 'Stupid Neku, killing himself after winning the game so much'. I can hardly hear it though, so he may not be saying that._

_What happens after you die though, Neku? Are you happy? I hope you are. I hope there's some afterlife for you, and not just an empty void. Because I want to see you again sometime, and so do Beat and Shiki. I wonder if Joshua got you there. Because I think he and the Reapers are like angels. It makes sense in my head, but I can't explain it._

_Beat's reading over my shoulder now. I can tell he's cryufnaskjnc. And now he's hitting the keyboard whenever I try to write that word. That's so like him. Yo phones! Get down here so I can send you back up there for making us so upset!_

_And there's his input into this. He really dos need to be able to learn to spell. Thank you autocorrect for making my brother look like he can spell._

_Well, I suppose that's all I can really say. I'm sorry I can't write more, but I don't have anything else to say. And neither does Beat._

_I hope we all get to see you again someday. We all miss you._

_Beat and Rhyme._

Joshua approached the teen, sitting on the edge of the sofa, holding out a cold glass of coke to the newly deceased figure.

"Why'd you bring me here anyway?" Neku asked as he took the glass, staring into it for a moment before taking a sip.

"You are a close friend of mine." Joshua said. "I can't be said to not be nice to my friends." The Composer lifted his arms as he spoke, a slightly exasperated look on his face.

"So why'd you do this to me?" Neku spoke, looking around. "You brought me back to life."

"Well, not exactly." Joshua spoke, taking the seat opposite the dead teen. "I can't bring you back to life. The Reaper's Game can't be entered by suicide cases. What would be the point then?" Joshua sighed. "Even if I wanted to, I'm not a creator. I can't give your life back to you."

"Then what are you?" Neku asked.

Joshua shrugged. "A manipulator? I'm not really sure. All I've ever really known is the game. I don't even really remember becoming Composer."

"So why am I here?" Neku asked.

"So I can give you an offer." Joshua spoke. "A simple choice of the four things that I can offer you."

"So what are they?"

"The first is simple. Erasure. The second, I can offer you a place as a Reaper."

"I'm not interested in that." Neku interrupted.

"Let me finish, would you? Third is a higher role in the Game, similar to what Mr H does. Actually, exactly what Mr H does, just I have a feeling you'll want to remain in the UG if you do take up that role." Neku looked like he was considering that option, and noticing that Joshua gave a small smile. "Finally, I could let you ascend."

"Ascend?"

"You go to what you might call heaven. Simple as that." Joshua shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of the place, but you might like. It's where all the Reapers aspire to go, and if you choose that you will still have the third option open to you."

Neku looked into his coke for a moment, then looked up. "One question, does Mr H have Reaper wings?"

"Nope."

"Then I'll take option three." Joshua nodded.

"All right, let's get you started."

**Okay, a couple of things I should note.**

**1) My theory about how they come back to life is that the week undoes itself and the people who won keep the memories from the game, including how they died. Hence, they avoid it. This also explains why the police are never looking for Neku, Beat, Rhyme or Shiki.**

**2) That's how I imagine Shiki would end her letters. And how she'd write.**

**3) Since when has Beat been good with words?**

**Also, I should note that I do not own **_**The World Ends with You**_**, or any characters, brands or places that may be mentioned.**

**Well, I hope that you enjoyed this. And I hope that it worked as well as I think it did.**


End file.
